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    Gabi James

    4.0 (435 reviews)
    ModerateFrench, Spanish

    Order Gabi James Takeout or Delivery

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    GABI JAMES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Intimate
    Romantic

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    Recommended Reviews - Gabi James

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    Croque and Chorizo Burger
    Jenn G.

    I had previously visited Gabi James for brunch but I came back recently for a dinner date here. We had Saturday night reservations and the place was moderately busy. We started off our meal here with our server Austin's recommendation for the Pan Peche. This was the surprise star of the night. It consisted of a grilled sourdough ciabatta smothered with herbed goat cheese and topped with large peach slices and shreds of arugula. On top of the arugula, they drizzled some honey. The flavors came together wonderfully, giving this starter just the right amount of sweetness. It is a dish that just screams out summer sweet. We were fans of the Pan Peche for sure. Our second dish of the night was the Albondigas Chimayo. These were turkey meatballs in ancho chili cream sauce. Per our server's recommendation, we added in some pan a la parilla. Being a fan of albondigas, I had high expectations for this dish. Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to what I was expecting. Though the meatballs were cooked quite well, the flavor was lacking. The ancho chili cream sauce didn't really add much to the dish and sad to say the pan a la parilla was the best thing about this dish. When the side bread is better than the main component of a plate, there is something to be said. I would pass on this next time. For our main course, we chose to split their Pomegranate Lamb Chops. This came with four lamb chops and some grilled radicchio and baby carrots with pomegranate glaze. This was an excellent entree. The lamb chops were tender and cooked well. The radicchio and baby carrots paired nicely with the lamb. The pomegranate glaze gave a nice sweet flavor that tied everything together. You know a restaurant is good if they can cook lamb chops well. For my drink of the night, I chose to get The Butterfly Effect. I've always been a fan of butterfly pea and was intrigued when I saw this on the menu. This drink has butterfly infused vodka with vanilla syrup, lemon and egg white. It was sweet, refreshing and quite enjoyable. It was a wonderful dinner at Gabi James. All of the dishes with the exception of the Albondigas Chimayo were great. This spot makes for a great date night.

    Harissa honey eggplant fries
    Peter H.

    TL;DR - highly recommend the seafood paella, Harissa honey eggplant fries, and anchovy crisps. I look forward to coming back soon! This is my new favorite when it comes to tapas. This place is known for Spanish and coastal French cuisine. It's a place with a lot of shareable plates. It's located in the Riviera and there's plenty of parking, most of it being paid parking. The ambiance is nice. It's easy to hold a conversation but it can get a little loud. Service is fast and professional too. Everyone was so helpful with the menu. Overall I really enjoyed the food here. The seafood paella was perfect. Not too salty and lots of protein. It reminded me of my time in Barcelona. The pomegranate lamb chops were also really good! We also tried their Harissa honey eggplant fries which were unique and very tasty. My kid couldn't get enough. I decided to be a little adventurous with the anchovy crisps and didn't regret it. I actually really liked it. The anchovies sit on a crunchy bread and I look forward to ordering this again when I visit. Lastly, they had an oxtail tortilla which is a weekly special. It looks really REALLY good and the presentation is straight up eye candy. For some reason it tasted off to me and my friend. Maybe it was a bad batch but we won't be getting it again. But besides that, I loved everything else!

    Tuna Tartare
    Kathy S.

    Had a fabulous experience at Gabi James taste testing so many yummy eats! Came here for family dinner with friends and we shared family style. The service was excellent. Easy to make a reservation and our waiter gave us great recommendations on what to try. We had the following and I was not able to take photos of everything as the food was going fast! - Harissa Honey eggplant fries (sooo good - we ordered seconds) - Anchovy crisp - Tuna tartare - Citrus Quince Salad - Grilled Pulpo (octopus) - Seafood paella without chorizo - The meat eaters has Mojo Cerdo (pork chops) and skirt steak

    Mother's Day special Giant Pancake
    Joe M.

    Took my family here today for Mother's Day with our two kids, really looking forward to it based on all the positive reviews. Unfortunately, the experience didn't quite live up to the hype. Despite seeing plenty of staff walking around, it was surprisingly difficult to get our waiter's attention to place our order. We started with the bread service and chorizo croquettes. The bread and house-made jam were just okay--nothing particularly memorable. The croquettes had to be remade because they forgot the chorizo the first time, but once corrected, those were actually quite tasty. For entrées, my kids ordered the French toast and breakfast sandwich, my wife went with the special $30 giant pancake with berries, and I ordered a basic breakfast plate with eggs, bacon, and potatoes. My kids received their food and completely finished eating before I had to ask about the rest of our meals. My plate finally arrived, and by the time I was finishing, my wife--who we were there to celebrate--was still waiting for her pancake. When it finally came, it was just okay and didn't really justify the $30 price tag. The restaurant itself is cute and nicely decorated, but unfortunately, the food and service didn't deliver enough for us to want to return.

    Sammie C.

    Dined in date 9/19/25. We were excited about this place because it is hard to get good paella in LA, and the reviews all seem stellar. Reservation was easy to make. What a disappointing experience it was. Service was slow and inattentive. Took about 20 minutes from the time we sat down until someone came by with the menu and water, and this is after my husband waved someone down. We felt like we were being skipped many times over. Food was just ok. The paella was soft and on the wet side. There was no socarrat as I longed for. The other dishes were just average. Drinks were strong. There are so many good restaurants in the South Bay that it is less likely we'll come back here.

    Glazed Pork Belly
    Mike A.

    Went for dinner on a Wednesday night. It was surprisingly easy to get a table. The staff was very friendly and service was great. I am gluten free and the waitress marked the menu with everything that is gluten free or could be modified. I had surprisingly a lot of options. The food is meant to be shared family style. We ordered a few dishes and limited ourselves to 3 small (pork belly, tortilla española, broccolini) and 2 large dishes (paella and lamb chops) which was way more than enough. What I really liked was the tortilla española, paella, and lamb chops. The paella comes with a squid ink sauce on it, which was great. The pork belly was just ok - the blue cheese was overpowering, we ate around it. Overall, great spot. I'd love to go back with a larger group to try more of their options.

    menu 05/2025
    Michelle L.

    visited gabi james sunday for brunch. my friend and i both had this placed saved on our list of places to visit, so it just made sense! we dined out on the patio bc i had my puppy with me so i did not get a chance to tour the interior gabi james offers spanish and coastal french cuisine, everything we ordered was so tasty! PAPAS VERDES: paella spiced crispy potatoes, chorizo, fried egg, mojo verde. GABI BREAKFAST SANDWICH choose your adventure (served w/fries): FRENCH: fried egg, gruyere, dijon, french ham, jam, pan de mie FRENCH TOAST: lemon pastry cream, market berries, maple syrup we spilt the three plates, tbh, i did not have a favorite, everything was so delicious! i love gruyere so it really paired well with the ham!! YUM service was great! someone different kept coming back to check on us. we had everything we needed to enjoy our sunday brunch! oh, rez were also very easy to make via opentable love that they are dog friendly as well. parking: street (metered) a couple parking lots which are also metered or you can park in the residential area and walk a few blocks

    Jason C.

    this was a fun little place to try out, but I don't know if it was worth it or if I'd come back! for people who live in the South Bay, its just something different. I just don't think it's anything special and the portions were so small, we had to hit up our favorite fast food place after, and get dessert. obviously for a place like this in this area, the ambiance was nice and service was good but it just wasn't super memorable either?

    Capt Kev
    Kevin M.

    Mom just said it best... "THIS is my new favorite special occasion restaurant!" Was there Friday for Mom's 87th birthday party. Great vibe, awesome service but the food is definitely worthy of that Michelin Star. Probably the best fine dining in the Village

    Citrus Quince Salad
    Andreas K.

    Oh my god, what a gem! The benchmark dish of grilled octopus was sooo tender that it simply melted on the tongue. But all the other dishes were equally wonderful: pan con tomate, citrus quince salad, roasted mushrooms, charred asparagus, and at the end a cream Catalan. Cool and elegant ambiance with an attentive waiter (who was very charming but seemed not to want to look in the eyes when talking to her patrons).

    Seafood paella,.mojo cerdo pork hop and grilled asparagus!!
    Art R.

    Fantastic Spanish - French fusion! Had the Seafood Paella ( tasty smoky seafood flavor!).the Pork chop was GINORMOUS, perfectly baked with panko!! It was SO TENDER LIKE STEAK! AND Cesar Aspagus spears !. So happy my wife brought me here for her nth bday , don't miss the Bread pudding ala mode,! A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO ROBIN who was very pleasant and accommodating , WE WILL BE BACK to try the other sumptuous fares on the menu!!! Tip: arrive early since the area parking is a hot or miss...!

    Tortilla Espanola
    Mai V.

    I've been here a number of times but never got around to writing about it. It's a good neighborhood restaurant for dinner or weekend brunch. The food has both Spanish and French influences. The ambience is casual and quintessential of South Bay. The times I've dined here have always been fun and the meals always pleasant. The service is consistent and the waitstaff always attentive. They have a good variety of food and drinks, nothing stellar but all decent options. When I've been here for dinner, it's usually tapa style with plates to share. Most recently dined here for weekend brunch and had the oxtail hash and the french toast - a little savory and a little sweet. Both were very filling. As is typical of the area, it's mostly street parking or scattered parking lots here and there. So it can be hit or miss depending on the time and day. But it's always a nice area for a walk so I usually don't mind parking a little farther out, especially being so close to the esplanade.

    Menu - brunch

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    Page 2 of 11

    Ask the Community - Gabi James

    Is the Paella large enough to share?

    Yes, our paella is made for 2 to 4 people, depending on your appetites! Cheers!

    What kind of cooking oil is used? Are there soy-free options on the menu?

    Hi Sam. We use a variety of oils in the kitchen, which are all soy free. The only soy in house is in the anchovies, which come packed in soy oil. So, as long as you do not order the Anchovy Matrimonio or other anchovy items, you are all set. Thanks!

    Do you allow dogs on the outdoor patio?

    Yes, we love furry friends but they must stay on the ground. Thanks!

    What is corkage fee?

    $25 for the 1st 2bottles and $50 after that.

    What time/days is happy hour? brunch?

    Happy hour is at the bar only Sunday-Thursday. Brunch is Saturday and Sunday at 10.

    What's the parking like?

    Metered street parking and a huge bettered lot behind the restaurant.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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